The Rose and The Sea
by Mockingjay272
Summary: Two oneshots of Finn Odair and Electra Mellark. Two people that, over the years, have fallen in love. Two important times in their lives together.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: OK, I know I promised that I would update my other stores this week, but I was hit with the plague known as writer's block. And the only reason I got writer's block was because this popped into my mind an refused to let me think about writing anything else until I did this. It would've been up sooner if my Internet didn't decide to break down yesterday, but when can you do. This is the first of two one-shots I'm going to write for Electra and Finn, this one being their wedding. I would so very much love to hear your feedback on this!**

**~Mock**

* * *

><p>When I wake up this morning, my stomach flutters nervously. My house is already bustling with excitement, and I can hear Aunt Tereska downstairs, telling people where certain flowers need to go. The doorknob turns, and Lillian, Aria, and Celeste stand in the frame, along with my mother.<p>

I am marrying Finn Odair today.

We had to compromise greatly on the location and style. Finally, we decided that we'd have the wedding in District 4 and the ceremony would have some District 4 wedding values, but also the toasting. I wouldn't bend on the toasting, and Finn didn't seem to mind at all. The pre-wedding was District 12 tradition, so I hadn't seen Finn yesterday, and I know I won't see him until we're at the altar today. Instead, yesterday had been spent ridding me of all my body hair and everyone else discussing how I should look, and then the night being spent with Asteria, Lillian, Aria, Celeste, Aunt Tereska, Aunt Annie, Aunt Johanna, Grandmother, and my mother. They had all gotten up early this morning to prepare. Thankfully, they let me sleep in.

Celeste goes straight to my closet and brings out my wedding dress. Lillian and Aria help me quickly pull it over my head. The dress is beautiful. It's floor length and the skirt style is very simple, not big or poofy. The sleeves hang off my shoulders and fall to the middle of my bicep. It's the designs on the skirt that make the dress. They're waves around the bottom, and a shower of primroses falling from above. Celeste and Aunt Tereska had it custom made.

I stand still while Celeste fusses over the dress, making sure that everything is perfect. Mother told me last night that Aunt Tereska got extremely excited about weddings and took it on herself to make everything perfect. She had even done Mother and Father's wedding. Then she passed all those traits to her daughter. Thanks to Celeste and Aunt Tereska, I've had to do minimal work on this wedding. And honestly, I don't really mind. As long as I get to marry Finn, I'll be okay.

Aria starts putting makeup on my face, and Celeste starts to move towards my hair when Mother's voice breaks through the room.

"I'm going to do this part, OK Celeste?" she asks. I assume Celeste nods, because I feel Mother's nimble fingers gently pull their way through my long dark hair. She begins to braid sections of it.

"How do you feel?" she asks me.

"Great!" I say, but Mother sees through my lie. She looks at me with raised eyebrows. I sigh.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up. I mean, it's all so crazy. I'm twenty and I'm getting married. But I know that I can't stand another minute not married to him," I babble quickly. Mother gives a light laugh.

"Well think of it this way, I got married just a couple days before I turned eighteen. And I felt the same way right before I got married. So you're not alone," she tells me. I let out a sigh of relief. Since she told me about her Games, my mother and I have been extremely close. She's one of the only people I can talk to about anything.

"Don't worry, Electra," Mother murmurs reassuringly. "He's the best possible person for you to spend the rest of your life with. I'm sure of it."

I can't turn my head around, but I nod slightly. Mother will know how much those words mean to me. I find that I'm actually in danger of crying. That wouldn't be good, especially if I want Celeste to stay calm.

In no time, everyone's done with me. I'm not allowed to see myself yet until I'm with Finn, but everyone assures me that I look gorgeous. They all give me hugs before going downstairs. Mother is the last one to leave. She actually does have tears in her eyes.

"I can't believe that my baby is all grown up and ready to be married," she practically whispers. "I still remember the day you were born. Everything was so beautiful and I remember the first time I held you. Your father and I both loved you so, so much-" her voice cracks in the middle of what I'm sure would be a long rant about how I was born. I know that it wasn't an easy time for Mother, because Gale had come the day before. I didn't know the specifics of what happened with Gale, but Mother told me the basic story and how I spent half of my first year of life in District 4, with Finn. She also told me how she almost miscarried Luke, which, from what I've heard, was one of the scariest times of her life.

Mother's now just standing there crying, so I don't know what else to do but put my arms around her. "Thank you so much for raising me so perfectly," I whisper into her ear, and I really mean it. I can only hope to raise my children half as well as Mother and Father raised me.

Father walks into the room moments later, his face bright. He waits until Mother and I break apart, then he kisses Mother lightly on the tip of her nose. She gives us a watery smile then finally leaves to go sit down.

"My baby girl's getting married," Father says after Mother leaves. "I'll always be your baby girl," I tell him, and Father hugs me too. "I can't believe I'm actually giving you away," he says quietly as we leave the room.

We come to the backyard, where everyone sits under the blistering District 4 sun. The waves of the ocean crash in the distance, and I close my eyes for a moment. This is where I've spent so much of my life. This is where Finn and I grew up together, where we became best friends. The beach that's just a couple of minutes away is the first place he ever kissed me, where he proposed to me.

I open my eyes and see Finn himself. He's in a light blue suit and looks even more stunning than usual. His bronze hair is tousled and his green eyes are alive with anticipation. I have a vague feeling that my eyes are reflecting the same feelings.

Aunt Annie, Luke, Hector, Jason, Asteria, and Mother sit in the front row, with an empty chair that I assume is meant for Father. Aunt Johanna, Lillian, and Aria sit behind them, with Aunt Tereska, Uncle Kelton, Celeste, her younger siblings Ceres and Jonathan, and Grandmother. Even Uncle Haymitch is there, and even more surprising, he's sober for once.

Father places my hand in Finn's and it's all I can do not to kiss Finn here and now. His eyes never lose their glow that I first fell for so many years ago. I remember that when we were kids Father would always joke about us falling in love, and then nobody being surprised when it actually happened. We started dating on Luke's twelfth birthday, right after he had gotten "The Talk" from Mother and Father…

A bowl of saltwater is being handed to Finn, and he dips two fingers in the bowl and then presses those two fingers to my lips. Then he takes my ring and slides it onto the fourth finger of my left hand. Then it's my turn. When I press my fingers to his lips, I can tell that I hold them there longer than necessary. I then slide a simple gold band around his finger.

A golden net is draped over us as the mayor of District 4 says, "Finn Odair, do you promise to love, serve, and protect Electra Mellark, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Finn says radiantly. His eyes have never shined brighter than they do now. I'm overcome with a sense of extreme giddiness, and I almost miss what they mayor says next.

"Electra Mellark, do you promise to love, serve, and protect Finn Odair, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I say, barely managing to keep my voice below a shout. I've also been proved wrong about Finn's eyes and how they shine. When I pledged myself to him, they shone even brighter. The sun should be envious of the way Finn's eyes shine.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride," the mayor says. Slowly, Finn tilts my chin up and lowers his mouth towards mine. Finally, our lips meet and I can feel that we are truly connected as one. No one can ever take that away from us now. Finn is mine, I am his, forever and ever.

All too quickly, this kiss is broken, and as the net is taken off of us, I am enveloped in Asteria's arms. She's just barely twelve, she's just barely learned of the Games and our parents past. And she looks so much like Aunt Prim it must almost pain Mother to look at her. But even hearing about the Games didn't blot Asteria's innocence. She's such a beauty, and I've done everything so that she won't grow up too fast.

"Congratulations, Electra!" she bubbles excitedly. I laugh and kiss the top of her forehead. "Thanks, 'Steria!" I say, and I hug her again. I remember when Finn and I announced our engagement, everything was quiet until Asteria yelled out, "Well, it's about time!" The memory makes me laugh, and then Asteria goes to hug Finn. He picks her up and spins her around, seeing as he's almost a foot and a half taller than her. Asteria, out of all of us, was the only one to inherit Mother's height. I'm five inches taller than Mother, and I'm five six. Finn towers over me, at six two.

"Now I can officially call you my little sister," Finn says as he sets Asteria down, and that makes me laugh too. From the moment Asteria was born, Finn treated her like a little sister.

Slowly, I'm passed through the arms of everyone there, with Mother being the last one to embrace me. "I'm so proud of you," she says almost inaudibly. "Why?" I ask her. Surprisingly, she gives a light laugh.

"For not following in my footsteps," she says. "It took me years to figure out that I loved your father. You knew Finn was what you wanted, and you made no hesitations to have him." She's laughing and crying at the same time, and before I know it, I am too. I've had issues with people saying that I'm just like "Katniss Everdeen" in the past, but I've come to learn that I'm someone different altogether. I'm not Katniss Everdeen, and I'm not even Katniss Mellark. I'm Electra Odair, and I like being her.

I go towards Finn, and I see him with Annie. Very quietly she whispers, "You're father would be so proud of you if he could see you now." Finn nods slowly, and wraps his arms around his mother. I think I see a tear fall down his cheek. Before I know it, I'm being lifted up, but not like Asteria. Finn has swept my legs out from under me and is carrying me now.

"Put me down, you idiot!" I exclaim, but the effect is lost because I can't stop laughing. Finn leans close to my ear.

"You should've known," he whispers, "That by marrying me, I am never going to let go of you, Lec-ta Odair." A pleasant rush fills my stomach as he says my new name for the first time. I bring my face to his and kiss him, smiles on both our lips.

Finn sets me down in a chair as Father brings out a masterpiece of a cake. It has designs of a beach on it. The beach is surrounded by primroses, and two figures walk hand in hand. You can't see their faces, but I know the two people are Finn and I.

"Daddy, it's beautiful!" I exclaim, and Father laughs as he bends down to hug me. "I'm glad you like it, flower," he says and then goes to sit down next to Mother. He gives Finn a piercing look.

"Now you better take care of my daughter, or I might just have to teach you a couple things on how to treat a woman right," he says, and Finn just laughs. "Lec-ta will be perfectly fine with me. Like I told her, I'm never letting her go." We then cut two slices of the cake together and eat them quickly. Mother tells us a story of when a member of her prep team smeared some cake in Johanna's face at her wedding, and how Johanna retaliated by dumping her cake down his shirt. Johanna laughs.

"I'd gladly do it again too!" she says, and her words ring true, because she takes the rest of her cake and dumps it down the shirt of the person nearest her. Unfortunately, this person turns out to be Haymitch.

"AUGH!" he yells, and then takes a swipe at Johanna with his bottle. She easily avoids it and Haymitch curses under his breath.

"I'll get you for that, Mason," he grumbles as he uses his napkin to dig all the cake out. I laugh. For years, there's been a pranking war between Uncle Haymitch and Aunt Johanna, and Johanna has always had the upper hand.

When most of us have finished our cake, we all go into mine and Finn's new house. We have one in District 12 as well, and we'll start settling things over there in about a month. Celeste steers me to a mirror first thing.

Is that really me I see in there? A dark haired beauty with glowing blue eyes that seem to laugh whenever she looks at Finn? Mother had braided my hair so tightly that when she undid the braids, my hair fell in soft waves down my back. I look like a woman that has stepped right out of the ocean.

As if sensing my thoughts, Finn tells me, "You're so beautiful." I look over to him. "Not nearly as beautiful as you," I say. He smirks at me. "Well, there's no one more beautiful than me. I mean, just look at me," he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I laugh again, then the warm smell of bread fills my nostrils.

I turn to see Father with two small pieces of bread, and I know that it's finally time for toasting. Finn and I each grab a piece eagerly then go into our living room, which, thanks to Lillian and Aria, has a hearty fire glowing in the hearth. I see the sun setting out of this window, spreading a layer of gold over the ocean. I couldn't have wished for a more perfect setting.

Finn toasts his bread first. "Lec-ta, I've loved you for as long as I can remember. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's completely true. I remember one time when we were young, maybe five or six, and you were climbing trees in the meadow. I was afraid that you were going up too high and that you would fall. And when you did fall, I remember running to catch you and it ended up both of us just falling onto the grass. That was the first of many times laying in the meadow or the beach. I remember all of those times and I'm so thankful that we can now spend those times not as two, but as one. I love you, Lec-ta Odair." And with that, he places the toasted bread in my mouth. I remember all the times he spoke of too, and I wonder how I will manage to say something half as beautiful as his little speech.

"Finn, I've loved for as long as I can remember too. I remember all of the times we spent together and how through everything, you've been my best friend. Thank you for being the one person I could always go to and talk to about anything. Thank you for keeping me sane all these years. Thank you for everything you are. I love you Finn Odair," I say, and place my toast into his mouth. The room bursts with applause, and right after he swallows, Finn pulls me in for another kiss, and finally, we are truly married.

Later that night, when everyone has left, I go to the beach while Finn's getting ready for bed. I remember talking to Asteria earlier, and thinking how she looked so much like Aunt Prim. And then Annie, telling Finn that his father would be proud.

I tilt my head towards the starlit sky. _I hope that you approve of Finn, Aunt Prim, _I think, praying that she somehow hears me. _I hope that I've made you proud too._

I turn around to go back to the house when I see Finn, wearing only pants. Wordlessly, he scoops me up again, and I just manage to take some of my clothes off so that I'm in a tank top and swim bottoms when he dunks us under the cool surface of the water. He pulls me in for another kiss as we live together, as Mr. and Mrs. Finn Odair.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: WOO! That was fun! And long. I didn't think I would have so much to say about these two! Anyway, the nest one-shot should be the time that their first child is born, but I'm stuck with names. So, there's a poll on my profile on what the name of their kid should be. Please vote! I would love it so very much if you did! I would also love it if you reviewed. Just one simple click of a button down there, really, it's not hard. Thanks for reading!**

**~Mock**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry about the long absence, school and life have just been kicking my butt lately, and I've also been working on my original novel (I'm in the process of looking for publishers, I can't believe I've gotten this far!). But now I'm back (oh dear Lord, help these poor people ;])! And I am ready to write again! I'm working on my other stories, but I thought I'd finish this for ya! Enjoy!**

**~Mock**

* * *

><p>I'm in District 12 when it happens. Just sitting at the dinner table with Mother, Father, Annie, Luke, Hector, Jason, Asteria, and Finn. Over the past few months, my stomach has swelled to an incredible size. As if to protect it, I keep one hand on it at all times. But when I get my first contraction, I feel like I need to claw the baby out of me.<p>

I double over in pain, and in no time I'm surrounded by everyone. Mother and Annie recognize what's happening to me, so they shout to someone to call Tereska and Ceres. I assume that it's Luke that does this, because everyone else is leading me to the nearest bedroom, which happens to be mine and Finn's. Finn and Mother lay me down on the bed, and Finn immediately grabs a chair and sits down next to me, one of his hands stroking back the hair on my forehead, the other in mine.

In no time, Tereska and Ceres run through the door. I'm surprised to see Celeste with them. She can't stand anything that has to do with hospitals because she's terrified of blood. Ceres, on the other hand, inherited her mother's talents. But I suppose, like Grandmother says, healers are born and not made.

The pain becomes almost unbearable, but I try to keep my screaming to a minimum. I don't want Asteria to have any memories of me cursing up a storm, and I don't want to do that to Finn either. I lock eyes with Mother for a moment, and she nods her head slightly.

"Hector, Jason, Asteria, can you all please leave? If she's anything like I was while giving birth, you're not going to want to be within ten miles of her," she says, and Father laughs.

"No, you're definitely not," he says, looking down at his hand. Mother told me she broke Father's hand every single time she was in labor. Mother blushes as she too sees where Father's gaze is. "I said I was sorry," she mumbles. Father laughs right as I scream, unable to hold anything back. I haven't cursed yet, and I make a promise to myself that I won't.

My labor continues, and although I've let out unearthly screams, I'm coping better than Mother did. Finn stays by me, never letting go of my hand, and this comforts me. His strength is mine, and with it I can do this. I can bring our child into the world where we can finally see him or her.

Thinking of our baby helps me contain my screams. I know that she'll be beautiful, and I want her to have Finn's eyes, and his bronze hair. Of course, Finn told me he at least wants the baby to have my eyes. We both also think that the baby will be a girl. I know that Mother thought I was going to be a boy so adamantly, she never even considered the idea of a girl. She tells me that she's thankful that she had me first though, because of how I acted around Finn. All the adults say that Finn and I were joined at the hip from the time we first saw each other, and that gave Mother hope that all she was doing at the time was the right thing to do.

As another painful contraction hits, I crush down on Finn's hand. I've done a great job at not swearing at him, but I've followed in Mother's footsteps with the aspect that I probably broke his hand. He doesn't seem to notice at all though, or at least not mind. He simply stares at me and my stomach, occasionally giving me sips of water on Aunt Tereska's command. I try to be brave for his sake. I don't want to say something I don't mean in the heat of the moment.

My labor is surprisingly quick. After four hours, Ceres tells me I only have about an hour left. As I get a break in contractions, Mother looks at me accusingly.

"Only five hours?" she asks. "You put me through nine! Not to mention that I almost killed Peeta then… but I could've handled five hours! You get all the luck," she exclaims. Father and I both laugh wearily.

"Katniss, you were screaming things at me not even two hours into each time you went into labor. Don't even try to convince anyone you would've kept quiet for five," Father tells her. Mother glares at him, but the effect is slightly ruined due to the blush creeping up in her cheeks.

"Shut up," Mother mumbles. "You know I hate when you're right." That's enough to get everyone laughing again, even me.

The next hour goes by in a blur, and I'm shocked when Aunt Tereska tells me I've completely dilated. True enough, my next contraction hits as soon as the words pass her lips, and these rip through my thighs. I let out my worst scream, and I can almost hear the bones in Finn's hand snap as I crush it. My back arches off the bed, and then a second later I almost double over.

Finn gets off his chair at the speed of light, trying to calm my flailing legs down. He rubs them until I manage to get them to lie still, and soon after I rest my head back on the pillow. I know I can't be flailing now, because Tereska tells me it's time to start pushing.

Mother told me how she used to push, so I use that technique. Take a deep breath, push, then repeat. I do this a few times until Tereska announces that my baby's crowning. I give one final push, feel mounds of tension being released, and then flop back down onto the bed, suddenly exhausted.

There's a faint crying sound from the other end of the room, and Tereska and Ceres have their backs to me, hands busily working on something I can't see. In a couple seconds, they call Finn over.

"Finn, come over here. You get to cut the umbilical cord," Ceres says. Finn squeezes my hand gently, proving that I didn't break his hand. I'm so thankful for that.

I hear a faint snipping sound as the umbilical cord is cut, then a small, yellow, squirming blanket is placed in Finn's arms. His eyes glow as he looks down at it, drinking up the scene. He quickly walks over to me, never taking his eyes off the bundle until he gently lowers it into my waiting arms.

She has my hair. Thin wisps are all that's on the top of her small head, but the strands are as black as midnight. She opens her eyes up wide, traces of tears still there. I wipe them away with one finger, and stare into her sea green eyes. Eyes that are exactly like her father's.

Somehow, I manage to tear my eyes away from my daughter's face long enough to look at Finn. My face breaks out into the biggest smile I can manage, and Finn leans down close to me and kisses me gently.

"What do you think we should name her?" he asks after we break the kiss. I look down at my daughter again, and she grabs my pinky finger in her tiny hand. Her eyes are wide open as she calmly scans the room. Some of the names we've been talking about float in my head, but only one seems perfect for this tiny girl lying in my arms.

"There's Chryssa, Thalia, Zinnia," Finn says, rattling off some of the names we discussed. "But if it's alright with you, I personally think she looks like a Kalei."

"Yes," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "She's a Kalei for sure. Hey there, pretty girl," I croon softly. "Are you ready to see your father again?"

With that, Finn lightly takes her out of my arms and cradles our daughter into his chest. With one finger, he softly and tenderly strokes her cheek. Mother peers over his shoulder at her.

"Oh, she's beautiful," Mother says. She holds her arms out, clearly asking Finn for permission to hold Kalei. Finn lets her, but I can tell that he's reluctant to let Kalei out of his arms. He compensates by sitting down again and taking my hand in both of his own.

Mother and Father both stare at Kalei like the true miracle she is. I loathe to close my eyes for even a minute, but my exhaustion fights against me. As I struggle to keep my eyes open, Kalei is placed back in my arms, eyelids concealing her sea green eyes. I place a soft kiss on her forehead, then hand her to Finn. Knowing that my daughter will safe with her father, I close my eyes.

Later that night, I wake up again and everyone is gone, even my daughter. Feeling very well rested, I stand up, wobble a bit, then head out the door.

The first room I come to is the kitchen, and while there's no one there, I see two figures out in the backyard. Peering through the kitchen window, I see Luke and Celeste, and they seem to be holding hands. I smile. Luke and Celeste have liked each other for years now, though they didn't want to admit it. All they would ever do was get in huge arguments over small things, but according to Mother, they fought like "an old married couple". I'm glad that they seem to have finally gotten together.

Leaving Luke and Celeste to have their moment, I go into the living room. Mother, Father, and Annie are watching something on the television, so I assume that Tereska and Ceres have gone home and the rest of my brothers and sister are all in bed.

When I arrive in the meadow, I see a sitting human silhouette. Coming closer, I see the familiar gleam of moonlight glimmering on bronze hair. Finn looks up as I approach, and gets a smile on his face that could have lit up the dark side of the moon.

"Well, hello there," he says in a warm voice. He shifts his body so that I can see he's holding something in his arms. Just a second later, the bundle is placed in my arms, and I look into my daughter's face.

She's even more beautiful than before. Her eyes take in the world around her and the small strands of black hair flutter in the slight breeze. I can't help but smile when I see her.

Closing the rest of the distance between myself and Finn, I stretch on my toes to kiss him. He breaks away after a few moment, and he stands by me. And finally, Finn, Kalei and I stand as a family.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Woot! Little Kalei! I finally think that I'm ready to give up the MLMFMHMDML storyline up completely (AS IF!), so there's a 99.99% chance there will be no more updates with this. But I've had fun doing it! I'm expecting to work on Love With No Regrets next, and then gathering up all my lost information for my SYOT (I hate it when the flashdrive with all that information breaks) so expect to hear from me soon! In the meantime, though, it would warm my heart if you would… you guessed it… REVIEW! Haha, see y'alls soon!**

**~Mock**


End file.
